On February 8, 1983, Dyno-Rod employee Michael Cattran responded to plumbing complaints made by the tenants of 23 Cranley Gardens, London.
After opening the drain cover at the side of the house, Cattran discovered that the drain was packed with a flesh-like substance and numerous small bones.
Fearing that the bones could be of human origin, Cattran and his supervisor called the police.
Fellow tenants told the police that the top floor apartment, suspected to be the source of the blockage, belonged to Dennis Nilsen.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay and his two colleagues opted to wait outside the house until Nilsen returned home from work.
As Nilsen opened the door to his flat, police officers were hit with the stench of rotten flesh.
Little did they know, this chilling discovery marked the unmasking of one of Britain’s most prolific serial killers, who had murdered at least 15 young men in the 1970s and 80s.
Nilsen would strangle and drown his victims before performing sex acts on their corpses – then hide their remains under the floorboards.
When questioned as to whether he had any remorse for his crimes, Nilsen replied: “I wished I could stop, but I couldn’t. I had no other thrill or happiness.”
He also emphasized that he took no pleasure from the act of killing, but “worshipped the art and the act of death”.
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